Safe
by mlw217
Summary: Different take on 4x12. Andy and Chloe find themselves in grave danger and the rest of 15 Division rushes to help.


Safe

_Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue. _

Andy and Chloe looked at each other with confused, worried looks. Something wasn't right. The 'sleeping man' was just a pile of clothes and the air was thick. A few loud shots echoed off of the building and Andy looked around, trying to find where the shots were coming from. When Andy brought her gaze back to her partner, the sight shocked her. The blood was so red, it didn't even look real. But the pain and shock in Chloe's eyes told her that it was very, very real. Before Andy could say or do anything, two more shots rang out. The first one knocked Chloe off of her feet and the second caught Andy in the leg. Andy fell to the ground and went into a zone where she didn't feel anything. A few more shots and Andy had dragged the bleeding Chloe behind a barrier she didn't have time to identify. She was having a hard time taking a breath because of the bullets she'd taken to the vest, but she didn't care. All that mattered was getting Chloe to safety.

"Hold your hand here, Chloe. Keep pressure on it." Her voice didn't sound like her own as she called this into the station, begging for backup. Once she heard Oliver's voice, she knew help was on the way. Her words were so fast and slurred, she didn't know if anyone understood her, but that was a fleeting thought that quickly disappeared. Peeking above the barrier, she heard another shot. She didn't have enough time to duck down again and the bullet caught her forehead. The pain was unreal. It was too much for her body to handle or even comprehend. She was flat on the ground grasping at her head, writhing against the agony. When she tried to open her eyes, the light assaulted her and she yelled in anguish. The only thing that pulled her out of the pain was Chloe's terrified gasps. Andy felt adrenaline pulse through her body and she managed to make eye contact with her weak partner after she nearly fell on her trying to get to her side. "Hey, I'm right here, Chloe. Just hang on; Oliver's coming with an ambulance." Andy heard her own shaking voice, thick with pain, and couldn't stop the tears that were streaming from her eyes. She pressed a trembling hand taut against her forehead and she saw Chloe's eyes go wide as she looked to where Andy's hand was. Her face was surprisingly still animated, however minimally, despite the blood loss.

"Did you...get shot...in the head?" Chloe looked horrified and the blood seeping through her fingers made Andy's stomach drop. Andy grabbed the woman's hand and looked her in the eye.

"I'm fine. It just grazed me. Head wounds just bleed a lot. Don't talk, Chloe, just breathe." Andy whimpered as Chloe's eyes closed. "No! Chloe, stay with me!" Her voice cracked in despair and disbelief as she begged her partner to stay awake. Now she was alone. And a gunman was shooting at her. And she was afraid she would die here, unable to help Chloe or herself. Andy sluggishly replaced Chloe's hand on her neck with her own and let her head go. She couldn't see anything, blood spilling into her eyes. She found it impossible to focus on anything besides keeping pressure on Chloe's neck. Her head was pounding and she wheezed, trying to breathe properly. As she wiped blood from her vision, she had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep from throwing up. When the sick feeling subsided, everything became extremely blurry. She found herself falling into a state where she imagined different ways this could turn out. The only one that stuck with her was dreadfully macabre. It was one in which both Chloe and Andy were dead and Oliver would find them like that. It seemed like hours before she heard a very familiar voice yelling her name.

"McNally, where are you?!" Oliver yelled, running low to the ground. Andy called out an unintelligible response and she looked up to see Oliver and Gail's figures rushing to them. She could hardly make them out. When Oliver took over putting pressure on Chloe's neck, Andy let her head fall into her hands and she went slack, feeling weightless for a second before arms prevented her collapse. She felt someone holding her tightly against their Kevlar vest and recognized the voice as Gail.

"Andy! Let me see! Andy, look at me." Gail's voice was terrified and Andy heard Oliver yell the same directives at her. She groaned and took her hands off of her head, watching Gail's jaw drop. Oliver cursed loudly, checking on the ETA of the ambulance.

"Oliver, GSW to the head...and leg, and some to the vest." Gail spoke, cataloguing her injuries, and Andy shook her head, making everything spin and flip in her vision.

"No, it just grazed me. I'm fine. Chloe needs to get to the hospital NOW!" Andy cried out feebly, frustrated that they didn't seem to be listening to her.

"Andy..." Gail's voice got softer and Andy knew that was a bad thing. "It didn't graze you...I have no idea how you're alive right now. Just stop moving and lay down." Gail let her voice get harsher at the end as she forced Andy to lay down.

"Chloe...her neck." Andy argued faintly and gazed up at Gail who looked panicked. Andy couldn't remember seeing Gail wear an expression like that before. It was odd. Despite the pure agony she was in, she was aware of an expression of fierce anger and terror and impending sorrow. But mostly fear. And she'd never thought that Gail could ever feel these things toward her.

"I know, Andy. The ambulance is almost here. You're going to be fine. Just hang on." Gail sounded like she was trying to convince herself. The blonde officer hurriedly took her jacket off and pressed it against Andy's bleeding leg, her eyes filling with hot tears. Andy yelped and her awareness quickly faded. The paramedics got there and quickly loaded Chloe into the ambulance. Andy refused the stretcher with unintelligible mumbling and when Gail stood up, a bullet tore through the air, taking the blonde woman to the ground. Oliver bellowed, still ducking behind Andy's makeshift cover and pushed everyone to the concrete, dragging Gail back under the safety of the barrier.

"I'm fine, just got my vest." Gail said breathlessly, her face scrunched as she fought for oxygen. Andy crawled aimlessly to Gail and tried to help her sit up slowly. Sirens wailed and even more backup arrived, ceasing the assailant's raining terror. Once Oliver scanned the surrounding buildings and was assured by the SWAT team that the shooter was gone, he stood up.

"Okay, get them in the bus. I'll stay and process." Oliver yelled at the paramedics. Gail got up, pain evident on her face, and helped the paramedics with Andy. When the ambulance lights were out of sight, Oliver felt the adrenaline drain from his body and he looked down at all of the blood in front of him. He felt sick and was vaguely aware of his chattering teeth. Andy's bloody face, Chloe's blood-drained one, and the image of Gail being knocked off her feet replayed over and over again in his mind. All the chaos and noise around him sounded muffled and far away. Officers and SWAT ran around him, but he didn't notice.

"Oliver! What the hell happened?!" Traci shouted, grabbing the man, trying to shake him out of his daze. She looked at the blood and then Oliver's wide eyes.

"They were set up...so much blood." Oliver added at the end, his voice haunted.

"Oliver, where's Andy? Are they okay?" Traci was in a panic, fear clear in her demeanor but she lowered her voice, reminding herself that he'd just been through a traumatic ordeal. Oliver shook his head slowly and Traci couldn't breathe.

"Chloe was shot in the neck..." He paused and Chris walked up, horror in his eyes. "Gail got one in the vest..." He stopped, shutting his eyes briefly. He opened them as if someone had shocked him when the images assaulted his mind. But it didn't matter if his eyes were closed or not. He still saw it.

"Andy?" Traci asked quietly, terrified of the answer. Chris shifted nervously, brows knitted together in shock.

"She had one in her leg and some in her vest...and one...in the head." He didn't want to say the last part, but that's what happened and he still didn't believe it. Traci's eyes were full of tears and she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. "She was talking and arguing though..." Oliver added quietly and he looked at Traci and Chris, who were fighting their own intense emotions. Chris looked hollow, his eyes still connected to the red concrete and Traci had her hands tangled in her hair, disbelief coloring her expression."I have to call Sam..." Oliver mumbled and walked away, leaving Traci and Chris with the blood stains and sirens to keep them company as they tried to process the situation.

"Sammy..." Oliver said, dreading telling his best friend the love of his life was fighting for her own. He honestly couldn't imagine anyone surviving with the extent of her injuries, but he had to hope. Because if he didn't have hope, what was left?

"Hey, Oliver. I was thinking about grabbing some lunch, want to join?" He sounded happy. And that felt like someone had punched Oliver in the gut.

"Sam, have you not heard anything?" He sounded confused and he closed his eyes again, the pit in his stomach threatening to become deeper.

"What are you talking about, Ollie? I've been in evidence all morning...What's going on?" Fear hinted at the end of his sentence as he picked up on the tone and narrowed his dark eyes.

"You might want to sit down, buddy." Oliver tried to make his voice low and kind.

"What the hell is going on, Oliver? You're scaring me." Sam stopped walking, pausing in the middle of the hallway.

"There was a shooting...three of our officers have been shot. They're headed to the hospital right now." Oliver couldn't bring himself to say the names yet. Sam's eyes were wide and he hesitated.

"Who?" It was short; breathless.

"Price, Peck, and McNally." Oliver squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for Sam's response. Sam couldn't breathe. The last name his best friend said made him double over but he stood up immediately, determination filling his terrorized eyes.

"How bad is it?" His words were choked. Oliver shook his head.

"Peck got one in the vest, she should be fine. Price was unconscious when I got here...she's lost a lot of blood. She was shot in the neck. McNally was talking and arguing when she left the scene." Oliver still couldn't get the most crucial information out.

"Where was she shot, Ollie?" Sam swallowed, his breath trapped in his tightened chest. He knew that Oliver wasn't saying something.

"Once in the leg, a few in the vest...and once in the head." There was silence on the line and Sam was doubled over again.

"What hospital?" Oliver heard the emotion boiling over in Sam's voice, making him grit his teeth.

"St. Joseph's...Call me when you know something, Sam." Oliver didn't argue with Sam about him covering the case. They had Traci and now Det. Callaghan was on the scene, so they would be fine without him.

...

"Holly, did you hear what happened?" A blonde lab tech asked as Holly walked into the break room.

"No, what?" She saw the tragic look on her colleague's face and she sat down at the table, not sure what was coming.

"Three officers from 15 division were shot an hour ago...Someone targeted them." Genuine concern filled the usually fake woman's voice. Holly's heart dropped into her stomach and fear consumed her, devouring control over her terrified expression.

"Do we know who?" Holly let her hair fall into her face as she waited to hear the names.

"Yeah. Price, McNally, and Peck." When the blonde woman spoke the last name, tears sprang to Holly's eyes. Without a word, she stood up and sped out of the building, heading to the hospital. She dialed Gail's number, cursing when it went to voicemail and pressing the gas pedal to the floor.

...

Sam walked with purpose to the front desk at the ER.

"I'm here for the officers who were shot." He didn't specify, trying to keep himself in check.

"Yes, Officer Peck just got out of X-Ray. She's in room 320. Officers Price and McNally are still in surgery. You'll have to go to the 3rd floor waiting room and wait for their doctors for more information." The nurse smiled sadly as Sam thanked her. He took the elevator, barely remembering the ride to the 3rd floor as he stepped out. Making his way to Gail's room, he swallowed back his emotions as he entered her room. Gail's brother, Nick, and Dov sat by her bed.

"Swarek." Det. Peck greeted his fellow detective with a nod. Nick nodded as well and Gail smiled sadly.

"How are you, Peck?" Sam asked, walking into the room a few feet, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Fine. A few broken ribs...they're keeping me overnight for observation. We don't know anything about Chloe or Andy..." Gail eyed Sam knowingly, making him shift uncomfortably under her gaze. Nick watched him carefully as he nodded, glancing at the ground.

"We didn't get the shooter. Nash and Callaghan are running it...Does anyone need anything? Coffee?" Sam needed to get out of there fast. Everyone shook their heads and Sam nodded, exiting the room as quickly as possible.

...

Holly kept her fear at bay as she chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for a nurse to get to the front desk so she could get some information about Gail. A friendly looking woman in dark blue scrubs walked up, meeting Holly's worried gaze.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" She didn't look like a receptionist but Holly just wanted to know Gail was okay.

"Hi, I'm sorry...I know you're busy, I just need to know if Officer Peck is okay...She was one of the officers who got shot today?" Holly noticed her voice shaking and she swallowed, seeing recognition in the woman's eyes. Her fingers were drumming nervously on the counter and she made a conscious effort to stop it.

"Yes, it's alright. You a friend?" The woman asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, setting a chart down in front of her.

"Yes...I work in the lab at the station. Officer Peck is a friend." It felt weird saying that Gail was just a friend, but that's what she was, right? The woman nodded, understanding.

"I'm Dr. Jones, Officer Peck's doctor." Dr. Jones stood up and held out her hand for Holly to shake.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Dr. Jones...I just need to know." The brunette stopped, her fear making it difficult to talk.

"It's alright. Calm down, Officer Peck is alright. She was shot in the abdomen, but her vest caught it. She has a few broken ribs, but other than that, she's going to be fine. We're keeping her over night just to make sure there's no internal bleeding." Dr. Jones smiled sadly. Relief washed over Holly's face and she lowered her head. She didn't know what reaction she would've had if it had been bad news. Holly felt like her heart was going to explode from her chest as it sped out of control. "She's in room 320." Dr. Jones pointed in the direction her room was.

"Thank you so much. Um, what about the other two officers?" Holly asked, and she wished she hadn't when she saw the somber look pull the doctor's smile down.

"They're still in surgery...but it doesn't look good." With that, Holly nodded and let the woman get back to work. She made her way to Gail's room and she took a breath, steadying her racing heart. No one was in the room when she walked in, only Gail's unmoving, resting form. Holly sat down and grabbed the blonde woman's hand. Gail stirred, jerking her head to the person holding her hand.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to wake you up." Holly spoke, hiding her emotions well. She carefully catalogued Gail's expression, noting the pain and exhaustion there.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Gail's voice was raspy from sleep and whatever pain medicine she was on. She attempted to sit up but the sharp fire that ignited from her movement caused her to stay horizontal.

"I heard about the shooting..." She looked down at her feet, emotion filling her eyes. She couldn't keep it away.

"Hey, I'm fine..." Gail didn't know where all of this was coming from. She kept her voice kind instead of her usual harsh sarcasm. Her eyes were soft.

"I know that now...When I heard about what happened, they didn't know the extent of anyone's injuries. Just that all of you were taken to the hospital." She cleared her voice and gritted her teeth, trying to stop the tears from falling. Gail narrowed her eyes, still a little confused by the strong reaction.

"Holly. Look at me...I'm okay." Gail held the woman's hand, trying to make sure that she understood.

"Don't you dare do that to me again." Her voice was hard and she laughed humorlessly. Gail swallowed and nodded, seeing how much this woman really cared about her.

...

"Chris, we can't have nothing!" Traci snapped, making Chris wince and back up a little. When Traci saw his reaction, she closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to yell. I just..." She stopped, running a hand down her face.

"I know, Trace..." Chris Diaz frowned, looking at his feet. Then, Luke Callaghan walked up, an equally defeated look in his eyes.

"Have we heard anything from the hospital?" No one on this case could emotionally distance themselves and Luke was no exception, his tone low and clutched. Traci shook her head, checking her message-less phone for the umpteenth time.

"Gail called an hour ago and said they were both still in surgery." Traci gritted her teeth and shoved her phone into her pocket.

"How's she doing?" Luke asked, glancing at the blood-stained concrete briefly.

"She's downplaying it, I think, because of Andy and Chloe, but she's going to be fine. Just a few broken ribs." Traci started to say something else, but her phone interrupted her. "Nash." Her eyes were intense, desperate for good news. Chris and Luke stared, unable to hear the other side of the conversation, so they just waited. After a few torturous seconds, she spoke again. Her tone was unreadable. "Okay, thank you." There was no smile or sadness on her face and Chris cleared his throat impatiently.

"Traci, what's going on? News?" Chris said, glancing at Luke who seemed to be holding his breath.

"That was Dov. Chloe just got out of surgery. She's on ventilator and they don't know if there was any damage to the spinal cord, but she's out and stable." Traci swallowed, sounding slightly relieved. When she didn't say anything else, Luke spoke up.

"That's it? No news about Andy?" His brows were furrowed. Traci just shook her head and stepped away from the two men, feeling her emotions trying to take over.

...

Sam sat in the hospital cafeteria and took a scalding gulp of his extremely weak coffee. It should've been painful but he barely felt it. Picking up his phone, he called Marlo, setting his jaw.

"Sam, I'm fine...I thought you were in the middle of your shift." She sounded slightly annoyed.

"Marlo, there was a shooting." He stopped, waiting for a reaction.

"What?! What happened? Are you okay?" Panic took over her annoyance and she immediately regretted her tone.

"I'm fine. I wasn't there. Price and McNally responded to a call about a homeless guy sleeping outside...but it was a set up. There was no guy. Someone started shooting at them." Sam felt numb.

"Oh my gosh...are they..." She stopped, not knowing how to finish her question.

"Price just got out of surgery. She was shot in the neck so they're waiting to see if there's damage to her spinal cord. Gail got one in the vest, but she's fine..." Sam took another drink and leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table.

"What about Andy?" Marlo's question was quiet and fearful. Despite the history between her and Sam, Marlo had really started to like Andy.

"I don't know..." He didn't want to talk about Andy right now; it was too hard.

"How bad is it?" Marlo knew how much Sam still cared about Andy and she sat down slowly, waiting.

"She was shot in the leg and the head...and a few in the vest." The words didn't seem real as they came out of his mouth. She was shot in the head. How could anyone survive that? His heart constricted in his chest as images of a bullet tearing through her head flashed through his mind. There was a small silence and Marlo wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"What? Did you just say the head?" Her voice was barely a whisper. Sam closed his eyes.

"Yeah...Oliver said she was conscious and arguing when he got there. But she's been in surgery for a long time." He made his voice hard.

"Okay...I'm coming home." Marlo didn't know how else to comfort him.

"No, Marlo. You need a break. Plus, if this guy intentionally went after 15 division, then I don't want you anywhere near here. Please, just stay safe for me." His voice was quiet and Marlo heard him waver.

"Okay...well...will you call me when you know anything. Please?" She added the last word, trying to get Sam to answer.

"Yeah. Hey, I've gotta go." He spotted Nick, who seemed to be looking for someone.

"Okay, call me later. Bye." She hung up hesitantly and Sam got up, his heart racing, and made his way to Nick.

"She just got out of surgery..." Sam tried to decipher Nick's expression. It was filled with fear and sorrow and Sam couldn't breathe. "She's in a coma. They don't know if she'll wake up. And they won't let us in to see her until her Dad comes." Nick's eyes were filled with tears and he walked away, leaving Sam with this bomb he dropped. He just stood there. Frozen. Unable to do anything.

...

Detective Peck gritted his teeth and ended the call with his sister, sadness flowing through him as he glanced over to Traci, who was hard at work taking statements. He had to tell her the news, but everything inside him pulled him back as he made his way to where she was. Steve walked up and when he caught Traci's eye, he knew that his expression was betraying him. She immediately stopped what she was doing and asked the witness to wait. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and it seemed like everything inside her wanted to run away, but she proceeded, her eyes wary and dreading what Steve was about to say.

"You heard something." It wasn't a question. Traci's jaw was working up and down and she bit the inside of her cheek. Steve took a breath and nodded. As much as he wanted to lie, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Yeah. Gail called as soon as she heard anything..." There was a silence and Traci looked away, preparing herself.

"Just say it." The worst-case scenarios had been playing out in her head all day and now all she wanted was to know. Losing Jerry had been the worst thing she'd ever experienced and she didn't think she could handle losing her best friend too.

"She's out of surgery...but she's in a coma. They don't know if she'll wake up. Now all we can do is wait and hope she pulls through." Watching Traci's face was the hardest part. He could tell that she was making an effort to keep her expression blank, but her eyes failed her. Tears fell unwillingly and Steve fought the urge to pull her into a hug. After a few seconds, Traci nodded, wiping away the strays.

"Okay...th-thank you. I, uh, have to get b-back." Traci started to back away and Steve grabbed her before she did.

"Hey, what are you doing? Just take a second. You need time to process this." His tone was soft but incredulous.

"I can't. I can't do anything to help Andy...except catch this-" She stopped and shook her head, tears streaming as she closed her eyes. "This is the only thing I can do for her. She's my best friend, Steve. I'm doing this for her. I will find him." Her words were dangerous and Steve nodded, understanding. Traci felt like she couldn't take a full breath and her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Okay. Let me help." If Traci was going to stay and work, he'd be there to support her and help her through this, because he knew it wasn't going to be easy. She didn't argue, so he followed her lead, taking one of the witnesses aside to take their statement.

_This was pretty random. Let me know what you think. -mlw217-_


End file.
